Could a horse racing track be Transnet’s salvation?

Kevin Mayhew takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the transport conglomerate’s proposed ‘greenfield’ projects
Kevin Mayhew
Transnet could be gambling on ownership of a horse racing track as part of its salvation.
It is also dreaming of pipes and more pipes for the streamlined group that intends to make its core business the activities of Spoornet, National Ports Authority (NPA), South African Port Operations (Sapo) and Petronet as soon as possible.
A first glance at these actual contemplations by the Board of the parastatal - authorised during its recent meeting on the 49th floor of its central Johannesburg head office - might make one wonder if the smog of the air up there has got to them. Or perhaps their faculties got derailed after mid-morning snacks laced with something as strong and illegal, but prevalent, as overloaded vehicles on the tortured roads that are its competition.
Trumpeting with pride the success of the meeting as being “the way forward” was none other than the generally sober-minded group executive; strategy and transformation, Pradeep Maharaj.
“These are our some of our greenfield projects that we are to look at as part of our strategy to meet the needs of the future with our focused four components,” he explained.
So no, the Board is not out of its mind, it is a mandate by Transnet to find “out of the box” solutions to its future needs and sometimes you have to think a little seemingly crazy.
In the minutes of that Board meeting are therefore some items and decisions that make for interesting reading. The NPA has a project described as “Acquisition of Race Course in Durban”. Yes, but not to indulge in another type of horse power but to create a logistics hub next to the port to facilitate supply chain efficiencies and overcome handicaps to export and import. One presumes they mean Clairwood Race Course. Maybe Clairwood was given its Garden Course moniker in vague anticipation of its role in a greenfields project.
Spoornet has decided to consider throwing the switch on the Gauteng-Durban line to provide double stacking capability on the country’s most important rail and road corridor by using only diesel-hauled trains. In electrical parlance the alternative to this replacement for the current powering of the line is a parallel dedicated express freight line between Gauteng and the Indian Ocean. And let us not forget a coal line to Maputo from the Waterberg Coal Fields.
The generally sleeper, but highly profitable service, Petronet is whetting its appetite on the possibility of a Nelspruit to Witbank pipeline to link the Maputo/Nelspruit pipeline with the Petronet Pipeline Network. Music to the ears of Robert Mugabe in his nightmare of a deteriorating economy and shortages is Petronet’s intention to look at the feasibility of extending this network to Beitbridge from Gauteng for the supply of fuel from South Africa to its northern neighbour.
When it comes to meeting future needs it appears Transnet is steaming ahead with tons of enthusiasm, innovation and uncontained imagination.